Montreux is on Lake Geneva in Switzerland, in its French speaking part. It is famous for its beautiful vistas over Lake Geneva, or Lac Léman, its Jazz Festival and some famous events in rock, which we will cover in this video. We'll also look at at the Château Chillon, or Chillon Castle, next to Montreux, the old town in nearby Vevey and the vineyards and villages above it in the Laveaux region, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

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Freddy Mercury, lead singer for iconic band Queen, divided his last years between Montreux and London. He said, "If you want peace of mind, come to Montreux." The last six Queen albums were recorded here, at Mountain Studios inside the famous Montreux Casino. It is now a museum and a statue of Freddy Mercury has been erected on the shore of Lake Geneva in his honour.

The original Casino burned down in 1971 after a fan let off a flare fun during a Frank Zappa concert. This inspired Deep Purple's song "Smoke on the Water." They were due to record an album in Montreux Casino directly after the Frank Zappa concert. Its lyrics tell the story of the fire and their task of finding a new recording venue: first the Petit Palais and then the Hôtel des Alpes Grand Hotel, both also in Montreux.

Many famous musicians have performed here besides Deep Purple and Queen. These include Ella Fitzgerald, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Carlos Santana, BB King, all of whom also have statues in Montreux's Les Jardins du Palace. Nabokov, the author, also lived out his last years here. A statue in his honour is also in the garden.

One of Montreux most famous sites is the Château Chillon, or Chillon Castle, built in the 11th century. This medieval castle was home to the counts of Savoy from the 12th to 16th centuries before being taken by the Swiss. It inspired one of poet Lord Byron's most famous poems. The Prisoner of Chillon.

Vevey is near to Montreux, also on Lake Geneva. We visit its historic old town. We take the funicular up to Mont Pèlerin in the Laveaux wine region. Some of Switzerland's best wines come from here and it is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The Prisoner by Lord Byron: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem...

Smoke on the Water Lyrics: https://genius.com/Deeppurplesmoke...

Chapters:

00:00 Teaser
00:28 Intro and Jardins du Palace
01:59 Waterfront
03:40 Smoke on the Water
04:56 Freddy Mercury and the Queen Experience
06:08 Château Chillon
11:00 Mont Pèlerin and Laveaux vineyards

#montreux #switzerland #lakegeneva

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Equipment used:

Sony Alpha 7iii wth 2870mm Sony lens
DJI Ronin S gimball
Rode StereoMic Pro
Rode VideoMic NTG
iPhone XR
GoPro Hero 9